Building boom in Mackay signals turn around for industry
One organisation has free additional training available to any Mackay apprentice who want to make themselves more employable
Mackay
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BUILDING approvals for Mackay have jumped by 128 per cent since the beginning of COVID-19 because of a residential building boom.
Construction Skills Queensland says this signals a turn around for local builders and tradies.
The organisation says businesses in Mackay are employing more apprentices than even before the pandemic.
“Around $90 million in projects were approved in the September quarter, which will deliver a strong pipeline of work well into 2021,” CSQ research director Robert Sobyra said.
“The growth is being driven by a remarkable surge in house building that has not been seen since the mining boom unwound in 2014.”
This has a flow-on effect to strong apprentice numbers.
Despite the strong building market, the number of construction apprentices in-training in Mackay has only increased 4 per cent.
CSQ says this suggests there is scope for construction businesses in the region to take greater advantage of some of the generous apprentice subsidies available during the pandemic.
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“Businesses tend to employ more apprentices when they have clear line-of-sight to a solid pipeline of work – and that is exactly what we have right now in Mackay,” Mr Sobyra said.
“Employers can now attract subsidies of at least 50% of an apprentice’s wage, which means it has never been cheaper to hire an apprentice.
“Our most popular trade apprentices by far remain electricians, carpenters and plumbers.
“These are core residential building trades, so you can see the correlation between a strong home building market and healthy apprentice numbers.
“Construction Skills Queensland is also offering free additional training to any apprentice who wishes to improve their skills beyond the base requirements of their apprenticeship.
“Any apprentice who wants to stand out from the crowd and make themselves more employable to more businesses should take advantage of Construction Skill Queensland’s free training offer.”
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